The End of the Rebellion
by telegenicspade
Summary: Shortly after the Weapon of a Jedi, before Episode V, Emperor Palpatine captures Luke Skywalker and utilizes a surprising method to end the Galactic Civil War in a single, decisive interaction. A short one-shot, from a conversation with a friend.


Despite their three-story height, the burnished doors glide open silently. Once ornately inscribed with ancient symbols and fantastic bas-relief, the entranceway now glows with a plating of warm yet nondescript brass. The room beyond is a curious combination of the spartan and the ostentatious; bare permacrete floors and fixtures lend a dull and utilitarian feel to the space, yet the few pieces of furniture are lavishly upholstered in violet and gold. No grand art remains on those high, vaulted walls, but the enormous bay windows are real crystal reinforced by ray shields.

A place of history, stripped of its past.

The urban landscape beyond the windows is nothing short of absolutely breathtaking. Only a simple, long hardwood desk and a single, stooped figure in robe and cowl impede a panoramic view of the twinkle of city lights against the evening sky, an expansive horizon of impossible skyscrapers stretching around the curvature of the planet. The sky of Coruscant is an appropriately royal purple tonight, tinged orange by the heady glow of a buzzing Imperial Center. A light drizzle has just begun, and the distant sound of pattering against shields is the only audible noise in the massive hall.

A mute, red-helmeted guard removes the binders from Luke Skywalker's wrists and gestures politely for the guest to enter this grand receiving room. Momentarily dumb with fear and wonder, Commander Skywalker takes three hesitant steps forward before halting. He's dimly aware of the massive doors swinging closed with a whisper behind him.

"You may sit, young Skywalker," the shrouded figure intones. A gnarled hand gestures vaguely at the few scattered chairs and couches. "You are my guest," he adds in a deceptively reedy tone.

Luke raises his chin defiantly and remains standing.

The Emperor turns, bringing his yellow gaze to bear on the young man. "Do you know where we are? Why I have had you brought here, to me?"

Luke's voice only trembles slightly as he says, "You've brought me here to torture me, probably to make me talk or put me on the HoloNet as an example, but it won't work. I won't betray the Rebellion; you can't force some false confession from me or make me give up any secrets. I'm a Jedi Knight, and my friends will never – "

Before Luke can finish his defiant tirade, a rough sound begins to scrape from the older man's desiccated throat. It takes Skywalker a moment to identify the vocalization, so alien is it from that old beast.

Laughter.

"I have brought you here, Commander Skywalker," the Emperor chuckles, "because this was once the Grand Jedi Temple. And I believe that it can be again." Palpatine begins to limp forward, crosses the corner of that simple yet priceless desk and seats himself comfortably in a deep-cushioned bucket recliner. "I believe," he adds, "that you are the one to restore it."

Luke starts, opens his mouth, and closes it again. He cocks his head to the left, begins to speak again, and thinks better of it. Finally, he ventures a confused, "What- "

"What do you know about the Jedi, young master Skywalker?" the elderly dignitary interrupts.

"I know that Darth Vader killed them all on your orders, after the Clone Wars. I know that they were the guardians of peace for the galaxy. That my father was one, and that you had Vader kill him."

That grim laughter echoes again. "Kill him? Who? Anakin Skywalker? I had Vader kill Anakin Skywalker. Where did you hear such a thing?"

Luke throws his shoulders back. "I was trained by Obi-Wan Kenobi, before Vader murdered him. He told me the truth about my father."

"He told you nothing, child."

"He told me everything!" 

"My boy, Darth Vader _is_ Anakin Skywalker. It is a ridiculous, easily disproven lie. A falsehood. A manipulation. Obi-Wan surely hoped that you could help him exact vengeance on your father; I was certain that he had told you dreadful things, stories of war crimes and monstrosities. It would have taken quite a bit to turn a boy against his absentee parent; I understood this, prepared for it. I never dreamed he would have simply sidestepped the subject altogether." The Emperor chuckles despite himself. "How very fitting. The great negotiator, manipulating a Skywalker to act against his self-interest to the very end. Your father lives, Skywalker." 

"That's… that's not true. That's impossible!"

"No, boy, it is not. Anakin Skywalker is Darth Vader. Search your feelings. Obi-wan shielded your presence in the Force from me, but I sense your potential now. Even untrained, you are remarkably aware. You can sense the truth in this: Lord Vader is your father. You must know."

Luke begins to shake. Tears gleam in his eyes, and his right hand spasmodically grips the back of the nearest chair. "It can't be," he mutters. "Ben, you…"

Palpatine permits the young man's emotion to reach a silent crescendo before adding in a low growl, "And Lord Vader never betrayed the Jedi."

"I… I won't fall for… Ben…"

"Obi-Wan Kenobi betrayed the Jedi, young Skywalker. He and the ruling council of the Jedi attempted to overthrow the Republic. They had gained power unimaginable in the Clone Wars – an unquestioning army, governance over martial law, automatic status as trusted Generals to the Grand Army of the Republic… and it was ending, boy. The Separatists were routed. Count Dooku was dead, General Grievous was assassinated by your very own Obi-Wan. These are matters of public record."

"But… nobody talks about the…"

The Emperor slams an open palm against the arm of his chair, flaring in sudden anger. "It was a dark time, Skywalker! The worst this galaxy has ever seen! I do not permit the matter to be discussed lightly, because it is _no light matter_. We trusted the Jedi Knights, as we had for a thousand years, to be our defenders. And, on the night they finally saved us, defending our Republic from the greatest threat it had ever faced, on the night of our most decisive victory… the head of the Jedi Council, Master Mace Windu, came to my office and held a lightsaber to my throat. He told me that my rule was at an end."

Luke is squinting, glaring mistrustfully at the Emperor.

"And your father saved me."

Luke starts, clearly shocked.

"The day I announced the betrayal of the Jedi, fewer than nine Senators requested the security records of Windu's insurrection. It was no shock to the governing body of this galaxy, young Skywalker; only I was so blind as to believe that the Jedi still acted in the interests of peace and harmony."

Palpatine waves a hand lazily through the air between them, and a marble-sized hologram projector levitates slowly across the room. "I was a Jedi, once," Palpatine murmurs as the small orb comes to rest before Luke's eyes. "Long ago, before I left the Order for a career in politics. I believe in the Jedi Order, Luke Skywalker. After their betrayal, I spent two decades attempting to consolidate the galaxy under an Empire founded on their beliefs, attempting to root out the evil and corruption that plagued my Republic and turned the Jedi against all that was light. I attempted to form a good society, a just society, without the tempering presence of the Jedi Order – not because I desired power, but because they _ceased to represent the values that they had so long embodied_. This is a matter of record; before your very eyes are the relevant security recordings."

Luke reaches out with a shaking hand and snatches the device from the air, clearly shell-shocked. "But, the Empire… Alderaan… the things you've done… Ben said…"

"What did Obi-Wan tell you of me, child?"

"…nothing. He told me nothing."

Palpatine sighs, and rubs an old hand over his weary eyes. "He told you nothing, yes. My son, I'm trying to govern a galaxy worth of bureaucracy from the top down. I thought, with Lord Vader's help, I could root out corruption; I thought that a strong Emperor could replace the Jedi Order as a force for justice in this wild galaxy… and I was wrong. I cannot blame your friends; the corruption of the Empire must seem unconscionable to you. You have never known the Republic, never seen the corruption I've rooted out in my time, but this is no excuse. I have failed where the Jedi for so long succeeded, before the dark times."

The Emperor struggles to his feet, bracing himself against the chair before steadying and inching up to Luke. The two stand less than half a meter apart; Luke can't seem to break eye contact.

"I have failed, Luke. The galaxy needs the Jedi. My Empire has built… terrible things, done terrible things, in the name of bringing peace and justice to this galaxy. I'll provide any information you require to verify this, unseal any records; I shall provide a paternity test, should you require. Do not believe me blindly, as you believed Obi-Wan. I desire that you should make every effort to verify the truth. All I ask is that, when you discover the facts for yourself, that you will rebuild the Jedi Order. This palace, this Temple of a bygone era, is yours to do with as you will. The Galaxy needs the Jedi."

"I… this… I'm no Jedi, your Highness, I've trained and searched out the old Temples, but…"

"…but they were destroyed in my Civil War with the traitors to the Order," Palpatine finishes. "Yes, I know. They would rather destroy their records in defeat than allow the galaxy to benefit in victory. I am not… ignorant, in the ways of the Force, Skywalker. I was trained, long ago; I have retained the holocrons of the Jedi Order in anticipation of this very day. I shall help you, young Skywalker, if you are willing. Lord Vader shall help you."

Luke seems to snap out of his reverie for a moment. "My father… Ben never… but Vader's done such… he killed…"

The Emperor sighs. "I fear that the betrayal of the Old Jedi and loss of his limbs, the loss of your mother and his comrades, drove your father to a degree of fanaticism no true Jedi should ever reach. I have attempted to rein him in, over the years; I had hoped that your presence, that a resurgent Jedi Order, might be enough to bring out the good in him once more."

Speechless, Luke stares at the elderly man, arms hanging limply by his sides.

"I don't believe you. I'll never join you, Emperor Palpatine." 

Palpatine nods, as though he expected nothing less. "I send you now, under guard, to proper lodgings within the Temple. Ask for whatever you require, for whatever information you wish to verify; request any specialist you like, even within the Rebellion, and I shall do whatever is in my power to provide it to you. I offer the Rebellion safe passage, for two standard weeks, to treat with the Emperor or not, as they choose. At the end of that time, I hope you shall elect to stay with me and found a new Order of Jedi Knights. I shall help you complete your training personally, if you wish. If you choose to leave, I shall grant you safe passage to the system of your choosing, and our wars across the stars shall resume."

"How do I know you'll release me?" Luke says, trying to put an edge of suspicion into his increasingly doubtful tone of voice.

"You do not; I recognize that I cannot convince you entirely. Nevertheless," the Emperor pauses as a lightsaber floats from his sleeve with agonizing languor, "I relinquish to you my weapon, as a sign of good faith. I beg you, consider my hospitality."

Luke falters for a moment as the lightsaber floats hilt-first into his grasp, then activates the crimson blade. "The scarlet of the Knights of our Order, pledged to shed their own blood to defend the Republic," the Emperor whispers.

After a moment, Luke deactivates the lightsaber and turns to the door. "I don't believe you," he says without looking back, "…but I'll see for myself, what you're offering."

Though Luke doesn't realize it, the quiet click of the massive doors closing is the final shot of the war. The Rebellion is at an end.


End file.
